A bittersweet evo review from a BB user

[zpilot]

So my first thoughts were wow, look at that captivating screen when I picked up my pre-ordered Evo at my local Radio Shack store. Screen is drop dead gorgeous but it does have its flaws. The overall design/ergonomics of the phone is where I am most concerned with. For starters, the rear camera is raised which will come in contact with any surface if you lay it flat down (prone to lens scratches). Another thing that I find quite annoying is the power/stand-by button. It's positioned so awkwardly that it hinders the overall user experience. It would have been much better if the button was right on the edge of the phone (on top of the Sprint logo) and not above the earphone. As previously mentioned, the screen is huge and with that comes a big phone. I'm coming from a Blackberry Storm 9530 and prefer the screen on the Evo, however, holding it in landscape mode, the Evo just feels overwhelmingly huge. It's not thumb-friendly when typing. I noticed my wrists become a bit weary/tired after typing in landscape mode. In portrait mode, the Evo performs better especially with Swype which I use. Having used my BB storm for almost 2 years, using Swype was weird and will definitely take some time getting used to. It seems as if when I'm typing (swyping), I get nervous that Swype might mess up detecting the words that I want and so my swyping motions go haywire. As of right now, I still type faster with the Storm than the Evo in any given mode.

I think we all had hyped up expectations of the phone but the Evo has some flaws just like any other phones on the market. Is it fast? Very! But is it smooth 24/7? No, not as fluid as I want it to be. My BB storm has had a few (too many) updates to get the kinks out of the portrait-landscape rotation. Even though the Evo transition is speedier, it's still slower than that of the iPhone. Lag is a problem with the Evo especially having multiple apps running simultaneously. I know, I know, iPhone can't multitask but still not an excuse for significant lag with the 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. And having to install an app killer program like ATK is yes, installing another app on the phone...

Browsing is amazing. GPS navigation with Google Maps is amazing. FM Radio is clear and crisp. Camera/Camcorder is average for a smartphone even with the 8MP/720p capabilities. Speakerphone is great but the earphone quality is not up to par with the BB storm. I compared the Evo and BB storm on max call volume and the tinny speakers on the Evo really shows it flaw in workmanship. It's the same sound one can relate to when playing movies and even youtube videos on high volume on netbooks to 13" laptops. It sounds as if it's stressing the speaker. My BB storm does not do that. Battery life obviously on the Evo is on average of where a smartphone should be so I'm not going to complain about having so many powerful functions under such a "small" footprint.

Learning curve not as easy as iPhone or BB storm but I have time to learn the ins and outs of this Android phone. It is my first Android phone here so keep in mind, this is the opinion of a novice Android user. I have never owned an iPhone 3GS but have played with it a couple of times and everything just seems more user-friendly. Coming from a BB user, push-email was something I adored and now with the Android, email accounts (gmail, aol, yahoo) are just spread out everywhere and not concentrated.

Was it worth ditching my outdated BB Storm V1 for the Evo? Yes.
Was it easy? No.

 

[chcougar1]

So my first thoughts were wow, look at that captivating screen when I picked up my pre-ordered Evo at my local Radio Shack store. Screen is drop dead gorgeous but it does have its flaws. The overall design/ergonomics of the phone is where I am most concerned with. For starters, the rear camera is raised which will come in contact with any surface if you lay it flat down (prone to lens scratches). Another thing that I find quite annoying is the power/stand-by button. It's positioned so awkwardly that it hinders the overall user experience. It would have been much better if the button was right on the edge of the phone (on top of the Sprint logo) and not above the earphone. As previously mentioned, the screen is huge and with that comes a big phone. I'm coming from a Blackberry Storm 9530 and prefer the screen on the Evo, however, holding it in landscape mode, the Evo just feels overwhelmingly huge. It's not thumb-friendly when typing. I noticed my wrists become a bit weary/tired after typing in landscape mode. In portrait mode, the Evo performs better especially with Swype which I use. Having used my BB storm for almost 2 years, using Swype was weird and will definitely take some time getting used to. It seems as if when I'm typing (swyping), I get nervous that Swype might mess up detecting the words that I want and so my swyping motions go haywire. As of right now, I still type faster with the Storm than the Evo in any given mode.

I think we all had hyped up expectations of the phone but the Evo has some flaws just like any other phones on the market. Is it fast? Very! But is it smooth 24/7? No, not as fluid as I want it to be. My BB storm has had a few (too many) updates to get the kinks out of the portrait-landscape rotation. Even though the Evo transition is speedier, it's still slower than that of the iPhone. Lag is a problem with the Evo especially having multiple apps running simultaneously. I know, I know, iPhone can't multitask but still not an excuse for significant lag with the 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. And having to install an app killer program like ATK is yes, installing another app on the phone...

Browsing is amazing. GPS navigation with Google Maps is amazing. FM Radio is clear and crisp. Camera/Camcorder is average for a smartphone even with the 8MP/720p capabilities. Speakerphone is great but the earphone quality is not up to par with the BB storm. I compared the Evo and BB storm on max call volume and the tinny speakers on the Evo really shows it flaw in workmanship. It's the same sound one can relate to when playing movies and even youtube videos on high volume on netbooks to 13" laptops. It sounds as if it's stressing the speaker. My BB storm does not do that. Battery life obviously on the Evo is on average of where a smartphone should be so I'm not going to complain about having so many powerful functions under such a "small" footprint.

Learning curve not as easy as iPhone or BB storm but I have time to learn the ins and outs of this Android phone. It is my first Android phone here so keep in mind, this is the opinion of a novice Android user. I have never owned an iPhone 3GS but have played with it a couple of times and everything just seems more user-friendly. Coming from a BB user, push-email was something I adored and now with the Android, email accounts (gmail, aol, yahoo) are just spread out everywhere and not concentrated.

Was it worth ditching my outdated BB Storm V1 for the Evo? Yes.
Was it easy? No.

Are you kidding me? I also just gave up my BB Storm V1 and the Evo is LIGHT YEARS better. The BB could do like 3 things and barely functioning while running them. This thing is absolutely amazing compared to that piece of junk. At least I got $50 for it lol

 

[zpilot]

Are you kidding me? I also just gave up my BB Storm V1 and the Evo is LIGHT YEARS better. The BB could do like 3 things and barely functioning while running them. This thing is absolutely amazing compared to that piece of junk. At least I got $50 for it lol

Light years better doesn't mean the Evo have no flaws. Read it, absorb it and then go away if you don't see eye-to-eye with my review. I picked up many other peoples' opinions on the Evo and some are rather consistent with the things I saw in the Evo. I am not the only one who sees these flaws within the Evo.

 

[Oridus]

I think you're comparing apples to oranges and are just trying to get used to it. give it more time than just over a day and then do a review on it. I'm talking a good month after you're back to an average use mode.

P.S. Posted from my Evo with Swype with zero issues. Very comfortable.

 

[Ms_Kady]

Interesting. All of my die-hard BB friends have said the Storm I is the worst BB ever released.

 

[bluehaze013]

I think we all had hyped up expectations of the phone but the Evo has some flaws just like any other phones on the market.

Think you need to change that "we" to an I because i'm sure many around here including myself completely disagree with many of your observations. No offense but honestly you kind of sound like a person that would complain after winning the lottery because the bills they used to pay your winnings we're wrinkled.

 

[zpilot]

Think you need to change that "we" to an I because i'm sure many around here including myself completely disagree with many of your observations. No offense but honestly you kind of sound like a person that would complain after winning the lottery because the bills they used to pay your winnings we're wrinkled.

Completely disagreeing with my observations means you are completely and utterly avoiding these clear flaws not only presented by me but many other Evo owners as well. At least I have no bias in my review.

 

[chcougar1]

Light years better doesn't mean the Evo have no flaws. Read it, absorb it and then go away if you don't see eye-to-eye with my review. I picked up many other peoples' opinions on the Evo and some are rather consistent with the things I saw in the Evo. I am not the only one who sees these flaws within the Evo.

Fair enough. I read your review again. In terms of lag I haven't noticed anything to complain about. When an app gets down downloading is pretty much the only time I've noticed any kind of lag. I think the screen/phone size is fine (but shouldnt be any bigger) in terms of holding it in landscape for texting.

The Storm always gave me errors and would take forever to do things. The functionality of the Evo is much better in my opinion and let's be honest this thing can do so much more in terms of hardware, software, and customization.

 

[zpilot]

The Storm always gave me errors and would take forever to do things. The functionality of the Evo is much better in my opinion and let's be honest this thing can do so much more in terms of hardware, software, and customization.

That I can agree to

 

[bluehaze013]

Completely disagreeing with my observations means you are completely and utterly avoiding these clear flaws not only presented by me but many other Evo owners as well. At least I have no bias in my review.

Things like your wrists getting tired when using the phone in landscape mode are flaws with your wrists not with the phone LOL Lift some weights or something About the only complaint I agree with is the power button placement, if it was raised like the volume button it would be much easier to turn on but then it might get turned on by accident as well regardless though I wouldn't call this a flaw nor most any of the other things you are calling "clear flaws".

 

[Piiman]

Completely disagreeing with my observations means you are completely and utterly avoiding these clear flaws not only presented by me but many other Evo owners as well. At least I have no bias in my review.

A flaw is like beauty. It is in the eye of the beholder.

NO product looks perfect to everyone and never will.

PS if the flaws were so "clear" why did you buy the phone?

 

[tjwoo]

Thanks for the review. Coming from years of blackberry usage(pearl,curve,tour), I have never been more happier with new phone. Blackberry quite possibly the worst browser UI and speed I've seen in smartphones. I've tried bolt ,opera , and many other 3rd party browsers but they are all plagued with bugs and perpetual slowness. Yes I miss buttons but this will be a nonissue once I get used to typing on a touchscreen. I haven't much to say about the storm hardware wise but u and I know, OS 5.0 was quite primitive and devoid of any 3rd party apps.
Lag you mention does exist, but to me is a non issue so far, as a split second lag hasnt hindered me in any user experience or apps. There are no random timing out in browsers, 10min reboots, and not limited to brickbreaker and sudoku(yes I know there is a app world but there is absolutely nothin in there worth my time.

I'm by no means just another android fandboys as this evo is my first Android device. Regarding iPhone, I see it as healthy competition to keep each other on their toes. Evo to 3gs is apples to oranges as evo is much much later in the game. IPhone hd should be exciting.

 

[zpilot]

A flaw is like beauty. It is in the eye of the beholder.

NO product looks perfect to everyone and never will.

PS if the flaws were so "clear" why did you buy the phone?

They became vividly clear when I got the phone Couldn't test it out beforehand

 

[bc_co]

I concur - coming from a BB - the droid OS is not as intuitive. The stock email blows unbelievably badly - I need to set up rules/folders on my work PC in order to not get overwhelmed w/ EM as the droid has zero email filtering capability.

Anyone know how to get the weather on the home screen to refresh? My options are ghosted out = stuck at 3 hrs (my wife's EVO is not which I can't figure out....).

 

[jadoe05]

Completely disagreeing with my observations means you are completely and utterly avoiding these clear flaws not only presented by me but many other Evo owners as well. At least I have no bias in my review.

Just because any amount of people agree or disagree doesn't make it right or wrong. Your review is bias because, 1. you heard about some of these "clear flaws" before you got it and 2. the review is about YOUR EXPERIENCE with the phone. I haven't noticed any lag with mine til this point except the initial few seconds after i overclocked it.

The things you may describe as weird awkward and uncomfortable are exactly the definition of bias. These things like the size and the button placement are simply NEW no more no less. There is a learning curve but like anything you will get used to it.

 

[cary328is]

OP - good honest review. Thanks for sharing. Much better than a lot of the reviews out there right now

 

[seigex]

Not attacking your review, but here's my response to it. Yes the Evo will have its things that you don't like.. but I think its up to the person on whether its a flaw or not.. The only *FLAWS* I heard about was the light leakage, which I'm not experiencing and a few reboots here and there, which is just software.... So far to me, and I'm critical on phones, this phone has been solid.. I've yet to see something I don't like on it..

In depth review though, thanks...

For starters, the rear camera is raised which will come in contact with any surface if you lay it flat down (prone to lens scratches).

I agree this was bad design.. however I added the bodyglove cover (which I made the mistake NOT to add with my pre) fixes that and is absolutely essential to the care of such a beautiful phone...

Another thing that I find quite annoying is the power/stand-by button. It's positioned so awkwardly that it hinders the overall user experience. It would have been much better if the button was right on the edge of the phone (on top of the Sprint logo) and not above the earphone.

interestingly I don't have much of an issue with it... maybe because I dropped my pre on the button and am used to having to push down on a flush button to get it to turn on

As previously mentioned, the screen is huge and with that comes a big phone. I'm coming from a Blackberry Storm 9530 and prefer the screen on the Evo, however, holding it in landscape mode, the Evo just feels overwhelmingly huge. It's not thumb-friendly when typing. I noticed my wrists become a bit weary/tired after typing in landscape mode.

I don't have an issue with this, probably cus I have big hands... and it fits perfect to me.. about the size of a PSP or game gear (for us oldskewl peeps) or an XBOX 360 controller... I seem to use it more in landscape than I do in portrait...

I think we all had hyped up expectations of the phone but the Evo has some flaws just like any other phones on the market. Is it fast? Very! But is it smooth 24/7? No, not as fluid as I want it to be. My BB storm has had a few (too many) updates to get the kinks out of the portrait-landscape rotation. Even though the Evo transition is speedier, it's still slower than that of the iPhone.

I admit iPhone developers made it extremely smooth ... but you have to look at the reason for this... no multitask, so they get full control over every process on a constant basis... eliminating anything that might cause the lag... the only lag I've seen on the Evo is during a swipe and even then its barely noticable and doesn't effect the feel of the phone at all...

Lag is a problem with the Evo especially having multiple apps running simultaneously. I know, I know, iPhone can't multitask but still not an excuse for significant lag with the 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. And having to install an app killer program like ATK is yes, installing another app on the phone...

I doubt anyone will agree that its significant lag.. maybe you're phone has an issue?....

Browsing is amazing. GPS navigation with Google Maps is amazing. FM Radio is clear and crisp. Camera/Camcorder is average for a smartphone even with the 8MP/720p capabilities.

Agreed except I believe the camera pictures are beautiful not average... way better than I've had on any other phone...

Speakerphone is great but the earphone quality is not up to par with the BB storm. I compared the Evo and BB storm on max call volume and the tinny speakers on the Evo really shows it flaw in workmanship. It's the same sound one can relate to when playing movies and even youtube videos on high volume on netbooks to 13" laptops. It sounds as if it's stressing the speaker. My BB storm does not do that. Battery life obviously on the Evo is on average of where a smartphone should be so I'm not going to complain about having so many powerful functions under such a "small" footprint.

agreed regarding call volume.. could be a bit louder.. but its compensated by with the speakerphone and app volume.. WOW...

Learning curve not as easy as iPhone or BB storm but I have time to learn the ins and outs of this Android phone. It is my first Android phone here so keep in mind, this is the opinion of a novice Android user. I have never owned an iPhone 3GS but have played with it a couple of times and everything just seems more user-friendly. Coming from a BB user, push-email was something I adored and now with the Android, email accounts (gmail, aol, yahoo) are just spread out everywhere and not concentrated.

I don't see a learning curve as much as I see that I keep finding new features that I didn't expect around every corner.. If you had a learning curve for this phone you just might not be a phone enthuisiest, which I understand.. there's a LOT to this phone... I feel I picked it up within minutse of using it... just a matter of finding where everything's at